Candidate Profile: Jodi Giglio For NY's 2nd Assembly District

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5 and GOP incumbent Jodi Giglio and challenger Tricia Chiaramonte, a Democrat, are waging a fierce race to win the New York State 2nd Assembly District seat.

After redistricting, New York's 2nd Assembly District includes portions of the town of Brookhaven and Southampton, and the town of Riverhead.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns. Here are their answers, lightly edited for clarity.

Name

Jodi Giglio

Campaign website

Jodiforny.com

City or town of residence

Baiting Hollow

Office sought

New York State Assembly District 2

Party affiliation

Republican

Education

High school, Stony Brook University

Occupation

Building/land use consultant/Local 138 operating enginee executive board

Family

Son, William, 22, twins Jessica and Jacob, 20

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

56

Previous public office, appointive or elective

Riverhead Town Board, 2010 to 2020

Why are you seeking this office?

I enjoy being a public servant and finding creative ways to help my constituency.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I attend mostly everything I am invited to, so I can be part of the community and understand the challenges local businesses and residents face.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Water quality, farmland preservation, safer communities and schools, help for our seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Working with the majority, I have made many friendships with my colleagues, and we help each other get great results for residents of the state.

What problems facing your district would you look to solve if you are re-elected?

Work force housing so that businesses can find employees and our kids can stay on Long Island. Water quality and energy costs are also a big factor as to why people are leaving Long Island.

Cancer is a prominent health issue for Long Islanders and is a leading cause of death for children. What measures would you take to help lower cancer rates and bolster research in the field?

We have great universities. I have always advocated for studies that would research why our families are getting sick.

What would you do to help small businesses struggling with inflation and the cost of goods needed to manufacture their products?

Not only are the cost of goods high, the cost of transportation to get those goods to market is high. We need to help them get employees who can work and live at affordable rates to cut costs, one of the largest being the work force.

Water quality is critical to the region. What plans do you have to help improve water quality and keep it safe for generations?

I have and will continue to fight for funding to connect people to public water. Where the ask for the 2024 budget was $600 million (it was $500 million the year before) the budget only allocated $250 million. I pushed for additional funding, which ended in a budget allocation of $500 million.

How can the immigration crisis be addressed at the federal and local level? Can federal and local officials work together?

Federal and local officials should always work together. There was 5 billion given to NYC for a two-year period for migrant housing and food. Instead of the shell game of funding that comes out of the budget to move money around, we need to make sure that migrants have a United States citizen sponsor that will provide them with shelter, food and a job. The H2A and H2B Visa program helps farmers find employees and bring them here to work on the farms. We need to implement programs like that for business owners.

What can be done about inflation, which some say can be attributed to price gauging?

Inflation is attributed to spending. The federal government and New York State have a spending problem. Instead of finding new ways to collect money from the taxpayers, they need to freeze budgets and stop spending.

The median cost of renting on Long Island falls between $2,000 and $3,100. How can more affordable housing options be created?

We need workforce housing. New York Stte subsidizes rents for far too many people, including people that can work. There is a lot of fraud in the unemployment system and disability system. We need to take care of our seniors, veterans and people with disabilities and everyone else that can work, should work.

What is your stance on SALT (State and Local Tax Relief)

Long Island pays extremely high taxes, and it is expensive to live here. SALT would help many! Fortunately, we have great congressional representation that has been pushing for this.

What needs to be done to keep Long Island streets safe from crime?

Bail reform and raise the age needs to be fixed. Instead of lowering crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor by laws that are created, we need to give judges discretion on who should be incarcerated, especially repeat offenders. Gangs are a big problem on Long Island. The fentanyl crisis is real — and drug crime penalties are not as potent as they should be.

The DWI/DWAI rate is escalating island wide. What measures can you fight for, to address the escalating addiction crisis?

Repeat offenders are still driving on suspended licenses. When that happens, we need to impound cars and hold people accountable.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Listen

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will continue to fight for our businesses and constituents to provide a safe, healthy and prosperous environment.